Image via Wikipedia

Now you can have the entire MLS at your fingertips, on your mobile phone. Realtors and homebuyers, now you can pull up information about any home on the market instantly. Browse photos and get all property details right on your mobile phone. No sign ups, just pure real estate search at your fingertips for on-the-go real estate.

Just visit: mobile.pmz.com in your mobile phone’s web browser. Bookmark it for later use and start searching immediately.

Think the housing market is bad here? Take a look at this picture:

This is the entrance to someones home. A place where 6 people sleep, water is stored in used, chemical laden drums, and clothes are hung on the barbed wire to dry. Even the metal used to protect the home from looters (yes looters), vandals and the elements gets ripped off and sold for cash. Instead they use plastic garbage bags and wooden polls.

This is the life of a Native-Mexican tribe in Ensenada, Mexico. They are outcasted by the people of their country and relegated to live in these sub-standard conditions. If you hit one of them while driving and kill them, you only receive a fine of $700 and then you’re free to go.

Matt Keenan, Recruiter here at PMZ Real Estate, went down to Ensenada, Mexico with his church to help rebuild a church. While he was down there he said he had a “life changing experience,” and even picked up the language pretty well. He was able to help support this tribe by making sure they had a place to come together as a community and by donating rice and beans to the tribe which usually traps a rabbit in a tin bucket and shares between the ten of them.

Matt and his church group were also able to bring hundreds of pairs of clothes to share with the indigenous people. If you are interested in finding out how you can help, contact Matt Keenan at (209) 557-6267.

A quick update for those folks who couldn’t make it to the residential staff meeting this morning.

Mike announces availability of Letter of Mutual Commitment form
Having your buyers make a commitment to you as their sole agent allows you to focus 100% of your energies on them without worrying they are shopping around. CAR offers a more comprehenisve form that some buyers might find intimidating. This 5 paragraph, one-page document is simple and easy to understand for your buyers. Check it out under the Forms section of Zagaris Online Solutions.

Chris Johnson announces Nehemiah changes
We got a home loans update regarding the Nehemiah program for buyers, from Chris Johnson. He noted that fees for the program will be going up from $499 to $599, so be aware and start getting your clients in there for pre-approval to take advantage of this still lower price .

Jon Zagaris, Paul Harmon and Phil Levin on MetroList lock boxes
It is EXTREMELY important that agents remember that if you are listing your house on the Metrolist MLS, YOU WILL GET FINED if you do not have a Metrolist lockbox on the house.

They are having a sale on the lock boxes right now, so contact Phil at extension 1235 to get more information.

Image by denis collette via Flickr

In this challenging real estate market, curb appeal is particularly important for a home seller. One of the first things you should do with a house that has a shabby exterior is focus on the front yard landscape. Planting a few flowers and/or bushes, trimming the grass, and laying out some bark for ground cover can be a quick and simple way to get you started. If you don’t have time for that, consider hiring a landscaper.

Here in the Central Valley, you can drive down just about any road and find a landscaper’s truck driving by you. There are so many, you will probably end up asking yourself, “How do I choose the right one?” Here are some tips for hiring a landscaper who will do a good job at a reasonable price.

• Review a portfolio. A neighbor’s recommendation is a good starting point, but it is also worthwhile to examine other jobs the landscaper has done and ask for references. Hiring someone who isn’t reliable, doesn’t finish the job or who uses unhealthy plants is a costly mistake.
• Consider maintenance. Asking for a low-maintenance design will ensure that even if the home owner isn’t able to spend hours on the task, the lawn will continue to look good.
• Know what good landscaping is worth. It can’t hurt to let a potential buyer know what the value of the trees and shrubs are. The North Carolina-based Horticultural Asset Management specializes in assessing the value of landscape plants. For instance, it puts the worth of a healthy 60-foot-tall European beech at $50,000.

Image via Wikipedia

Some homeowners who can’t afford their mortgage payment, and find themselves in property foreclosure are not only walking away from their home, but they’re also walking away from their pets.

They’re called, “foreclosure pets” and when the owner walks away from the home they leave there pet behind. You’d think it would be as simple as taking the animal to the nearest pet shelter or finding the loved one a good home, but it’s more complicated then that.

Animals who get “left behind” are the personal property of their owners, and therefore cannot legally be taken from the property.

A woman named Cheryl Lang, president of REO management firm Integrated Mortgage Solutions, heard about the growing problem and started a non-profit organization called, No Paws Left Behind. She utilizes her network of contractors to feed and care for the abandoned pets until they can legally be taken from the home.

If you are a property owner who is about to be foreclosed upon and have no place to take your pet, or if you are interested in helping or donating, visit the No Paws Left Behind website at: http://www.NoPawsLeftBehind.org

Don’t forget to join PMZ Real Estate at the 2nd Annual Valley Real Estate and Economics Conference tomorrow at 8am!  Mike Zagaris will be speaking on the residential real estate panel and is promising to discuss some very interesting points regarding the future of the market for the Central Valley.

Be there or be …. square.. heh.

The Lodi Association of Realtors® (LAR) now qualifies for 7 California Association of Realtors® (C.A.R.) Directors – beginning in 2009. (Previously had 4.) This is the result of the growth in their membership.

Four of the directorships are filled by the President, President-elect, Vice President and immediate Past President. Two shall be filled by a member of LAR who have been a C.A. R. Director, of an Association, in the past; and one shall be filled by a member of the Board of Directors.

Other criteria:

• Must be a member in good standing of LAR.
• Must attend the 3 C.A.R. Director’s Meetings held at various locations throughout the State. (Per diem, travel & hotel expenses are provided by LAR.)
• Must be willing to attend, if requested, the LAR Board of Director’s meetings.
• Must report to the membership via the Marketing Meetings in Lodi, Galt & Modesto after each C.A.R. meeting.

A letter requesting consideration for the appointment should be submitted to LAR by Friday, June 27th, 2008. The Board of Directors will make the appointments at the July 1st, 2008, Director’s Meeting.  Send inquiries to lodiaor@sbcglobal.net.

Note: This is a two year appointment unless budget constraints dictate otherwise.